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Jacqueline Dormer/staff photo
Mike Maberry, Lake Wynonah, works with his son, Adam, on rolls during Open Kayak, sponsored by the Blue Mountain Recreation Commission, on Feb. 24 at the Blue Mountain Middle School in Orwigsburg.

The Blue Mountain Recreation Commission will apply for a grant to update its Comprehensive Park and Recreation Plan and could expand its reach into other municipalities in the county.

The commission will apply for the grant through the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, a recreation-focused effort, through the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

All municipalities within the Blue Mountain School District participate in the commission. They include Auburn, Cressona, Deer Lake, New Ringgold and Orwigsburg boroughs and the townships of East Brunswick, West Brunswick and North Manheim and Wayne. They contribute through earned income taxes. The school district also contributes money to the recreation commission through its collection of the earned income tax. People also pay to take part in more than 50 recreation programs provided by the commission.

Mark Palerino, recreation director for the commission, explained Tuesday the need for an update.

"There was a planning effort done here for the Blue Mountain Recreation Commission in 1975. It was a comprehensive park and recreation plan, and this was to help guide the newly established, or new at that time, recreation commission in offering programs to residents, providing facilities through again taking a look at what was available and what the residents were interested in having available to them," he said.

The deadline to apply is April 10 and it could be awarded by September or October.

"Right now, the highest projection I have for this planning effort would be $80,000," he said.

A request could be made for $40,000 from the state and a match would be required for the rest.

The funding would mostly go for a consultant, he said.

Palerino said things have changed in the years since the plan was formulated. An intergovernmental agreement between the municipalities and the school district dates back to 1968. The agreement basically says the commission agrees to provide park and recreation services and address other issues, Palerino said.

As the idea for updating the plan was discussed last year, he thought it would be a good idea to approach the municipalities in the Schuylkill Haven Area School District to see if they would be interested.

They include Landingville, Port Clinton and Schuylkill Haven boroughs and South Manheim Township.

The districts are "so close together and they cross paths all the time," that Palerino thought it natural to see if they would be interested in joining.

An updated agreement might be necessary if other municipalities join, he said.

The plans to add new lanes to Route 61 north and south and to add three new traffic lights through West Brunswick Township and Deer Lake Borough, jug handles and other traffic measures could mean an influx of people to the area.

"One of the big things I see with Route 61 and that possible corridor redoing (is) that could cause an explosion of people moving up into this area, and I think we should be looking at this. This could be a reason why people move to this area because there are nice facilities and there are things to do for the kids and all kinds of recreational opportunities," he said.

Letters were also sent to the municipalities currently involved requesting their support for an updated plan. The Schuylkill Haven School District was also sent a letter to see if they would be interested in participating.

The Schuylkill County commissioners were also sent a letter requesting $10,000 to contribute to the project.

Municipalities already a member of the commission would see no cost to them for the updated plan, he said.

Any new entities who join would pay a fee based on population, Palerino said.

"There's evidently a misconception as I've read in the paper that they think it's free which (there) never was the indication of free. I mean I just wanted to know if there was interest and then I would look at who the partners were and break it down then by population to know what the cost would be," he said Tuesday.

"We'd love to get the project (the plan) going by, I'd say, late winter, early spring of 2014," he said.

It would take anywhere from about nine months to a year to conduct public meetings on the plan, do an inventory of available recreation facilities for use and the needed measures, Palerino said.

On Saturday, Schuylkill Haven Area Superintendent Lorraine M. Felker said the district would be interested in participating but would also want the Schuykill Haven Recreation Commission to be involved. However, she cautioned that finances are tight with the district budget and assuming any additional costs right now would not be feasible.

Landingville Borough Council member Angie Schaeffer said Thursday the council decided not to participate. She said the borough has one park, the Landingville Playground, and the borough would like to update the equipment there before taking part in a recreation program. She said some of the park equipment is "probably 25 to 30 years old."

The borough could apply for a grant in the future for more up-to-date equipment.

Schuylkill Borough Manager Scott Graver said the council decided to participate in the plan.

Greg Boltz, a member of the Port Clinton Borough Council, said in a phone message Friday the borough has agreed to participate.

Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess said last week no decisions have been made by the commissioners about the request for a letter of support or the $10,000.

Hess and Commissioner Frank J. Staudenmeier met with Palerino about his request earlier this month.

"Right now, we think it's a great project and it's something we can get involved in," he said.

A regional effort makes sense, he said.

"I feel it's a good project," he said.

The commissioners could discuss supporting the update for the plan and contributing "in the very near future," he said.

The $10,000 could come from money given to the county from the Marcellus Legacy Fund, which supports conservation and environmental projects and efforts.

The borough has five park facilities, Walborn Community Playground, Albright's Woods, the playground at the Community Memorial Hall, Fisher's Dam and Fanelli Field. Improvements to those recreation areas have taken place since the plan was done, he said. For example, the ball field at Fanelli Field was done until the mid- to late-1990s, he said.

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